The Goddess is Dead
by Black Rose Petals Falling
Summary: SPOILER ALERT for those who haven't finished the game. Noel has committed the greatest sin: killing the goddess Etro herself. The realm of life is being plunged in chaos, Lightning is crystallized, Serah is dead...what will happen next? May be hints of Caius/Lightning and Noel/Serah.
1. Prologue: The Crystalline Queen

**Hello! Black Rose Petals Falling is indeed back! So...just finished playing this game a couple weeks ago...and WAS TOTALLY LEFT IN AGONY. Warning: Spoilers for those who have not finished Final Fantasy XIII-2. You shouldn't be reading this if you haven't. There are doubts that Square Enix will make another one and it'll just be DLC, but I have my hopes. :) And if not...well, that's what this story's for, to satiate my hunger just a tad bit. So to wrap my long introduction up here's my little teaser prologue! Square Enix owns these characters and original story, and I am only expanding on them as I please. :P**

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Prologue: The Crystalline Queen

"_The goddess…she is gone, kupo." - _Mog, _Final Fantasy XIII-2_

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The timeless city was undergoing chaotic activity. Countless ribbons of golden light spiraled forth from its center, eagerly seeking a new destination to spread its influence: the realm of life. Nothing, or for the matter _no one_, bound it to this place any longer. It was as chaos should be: free and unbridled.

The central structure was evidently the source of the maelstrom. It was the goddess's temple as well as her tomb. A crystalline throne lay within, mounted high in the very heart of the temple. It appropriately seated a crystalline queen, a queen with no words or commands.

No, she would not be speaking any more commands for a long, long time. But unfortunately for this queen, time was ending. She was silenced forevermore.

A man donned in black, form-fitting armor entered the temple. In long but leisurely strides, he approached the throne. Strands of dark violet hair did a poor job in veiling the smirk on his lips. His glowing crimson eyes stood out most prominently of all.

He heard all, saw all through this spreading chaos. And so he heard his former apprentice's words of disbelief.

"_I…killed…the goddess?"_

A low chuckle echoed throughout the room. "Yes, my former apprentice. It was all for naught." This was fated to happen. Nothing could have prevented it. Every variation of the timeline somehow saw this death at its end.

Caius Ballad gazed up at the queen entombed in crystal. Even as a statue she still possessed a noble beauty while retaining her warrior-like qualities, her sword laid across her lap. The sword she had so often fought with in their battles.

"It truly is a pity our battles are done. You were a most worthy opponent. And yet, your defeat was inevitable, for fate itself was against you," Caius spoke in his sultry voice. He smiled cruelly at the dormant warrior. As expected, she gave no response. It might have been interesting had they been on the same side…although he preferred working unaided. He alone could protect Yeul. Yeul was enough. And now she would be free from her curse. Free and unbridled.

The shadows of chaos enwrapped him, and Caius disappeared.

Each ominous, ubiquitous toll of a clock rung a dirge, rung a solemn pronouncement.

_The goddess is dead._

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**:D End of Prologue! If you should like more, please, please review! Reviews make the world go round! Ah, and another thing...I'm in the middle of countless story projects, and I have a vague outline of where I'll be taking this story. So, for the first time ever, I'd like to have ideas thrown out at me for inspiration. My wonderful inspirers will be thanked and accredited accordingly. ^_^**


	2. Chapter One: Atonement

***Smiles innocently* So...while I was brainstorming on my novel, my thoughts started wandering to this. Then I read a little into the FFXIII-2 universe and then...inspiration struck! It was mostly because a plot like this is right up my alley and creativity just spawns out of nowhere. :) Thankfully I really don't get writer's block. So then I was possessed and my fingers just started typing on their own. Teehee...I'm still accepting ideas, nonetheless. New ideas never hurt...but let me stop talking. Without further ado, I present chapter one! (Note: I must reiterate that the original story belongs to Square Enix. I'm just the person continuing it in my own twisted way.)**

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Chapter One: Atonement

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He was first aware of the blackness.

He was enveloped in it, unable to perceive anything. And a hunter like himself found this a great cause of worry. If he couldn't rely on his perception, how could he sense an imminent threat?

_Don't panic, _Noel told himself. _Whatever you do, you can't panic. _Such an emotion was needless for hunters. He inhaled slowly. That alone was how he managed to survive in that forsaken future he was born into, how he managed to keep sane in his total solitude. How was this situation any different?

Well, he didn't know where he was…or how he had come to be here. How _did _he get here?

It struck him like an unseen predator from the shadows. Sheer cold rushed throughout him, banishing the numbness.

_Serah is dead. Serah is dead. Serah is dead…_

It was like a broken recorder urgently trying to capture someone's attention by replaying the same part of a song. Great goddess, could he protect anyone? What made it worse was the fact that this truth alone shattered him, and yet there was an incident that dwarfed it into insignificance. Noel grimaced, unable to even wrap his mind around what he had done. How could he call himself a Guardian when he could not even protect the universe? He was clearly a jinx to anything he tried or wanted to protect. Why did _he_ live on?

Serah...why did she smile before she died? What was so happy about her death? Had she been content to die now that she saw a glimpse of a new, optimistic world? And that was right before it all fell to—

"What have I done?" he whispered into the dark. The burden was unbearable. He wanted to vanish into this abyss, vanish forever...

_You have killed Etro._

Icy needles prickled down his spine, snapping him out of his misery. He definitely was not expecting a reply. That voice came from nowhere but everywhere simultaneously. Did this place have dimension? Noel hastily groped for his sword, and the icy sensation intensified when he realized his weapons weren't there. Where were they? Did he even have clothes on? It was hard to distinguish such material details.

An eerie notion occurred to him. Was this… was he just a soul now, doomed to wander this abyssal realm forever? But he sure as hell deserved it. He deserved every punishment for the sin he committed—even if it was done inadvertently, even if he was technically not at fault. He still had partaken of it. Noel sank to his knees, his throat constricting.

"This is the Unseen Realm then…" Noel finally uttered softly when he was able to speak. His tone was devoid of feeling. Maybe he could see Serah here...unless the chaos had destroyed everything. The numbness was returning into his bones, offering reprieve from the reality he desperately desired not to face. "Who are you? A spirit of this Realm?"

_This is a middle dimension, a limbo, as you would associate Valhalla with. You are weighed unspeakably by the burden of your sin._

He performed a dark laugh. "Is it that obvious?" Noel vaguely wondered how the voice could even see him.

_The negativity of your thoughts is utterly palpable in this middle realm. If it was within your power, you would be wholly willing to do anything to reverse what has been done._

So this being...it knew his current predicament. It knew the _entire_ predicament. "But nothing _can _be done," Noel muttered, his tone taking the color of bitterness. "It's too late to change anything."

_So uttered from the mouth of a time-traveler._

He paused. "And what's that supposed to mean? What the hell do you think can change what I've done?" Noel demanded angrily.

_Atone for your sin._

He gritted his teeth. "And how am I supposed to do that? You said so yourself: it's not within my power."

_No…but it is within mine._

It took Noel a whole three seconds to fathom what had been said to him. He held a breath, speechless for a brief moment. "...What?" he asked so faintly that he wondered if it had been audible.

Apparently it had been. _Ah…your negative energy has altered. I sense a frail hope in your mortal soul._

"How…what…?"

_You are a time-traveler. You know what a paradox is. What is this other than the ultimate paradox? This is why I come to you, along with the fact that you have caused this catastrophe and near apocalypse._

Against his better judgment, the hope the voice had detected blossomed a little more within him, a teasing promise to lift this unimaginable burden from his chest. Noel could hardly form his words. "The world…are you saying it hasn't been taken over by the chaos of the Unseen Realm? But...I saw it happen myself."

_It is and it is not._

"I don't understand."

_Time itself has dissolved. Chaos has consumed that much. Life and death are in a very fragile balance, a balance we are struggling to uphold. The Unseen Realm has collided with the Visible Realm. That is unchangeable. But we are sustaining the order of the Visible Realm as long as we are able. Chaos is conflicting with it, unbinding the order on which it was created. The takeover of chaos in the realm of the living is a process, a process we are attempting to inhibit._

"Who's we?" Noel asked, his curiosity aroused through the grief.

Instead of answering, the speaker said, _Chaos follows whims, not laws. And now that energy is loosed upon your realm. When you return, you will see what a portion of the chaotic energy of the Unseen Realm can do to the world of the living. You will see why the two realms do not interact with the other. If you do not act swiftly, all this exertion would have been for naught._

"What do you want me to do? What _can _I do?"

_Discontinue the cycle._

"What?" Why was this voice hopelessly making no sense?

_You must…or it will begin anew. It is imperative you find the other agent, _it told him.

His mind was muddled in confusion. "You've lost me…again."

_The other who caused this pandemonium. The one who committed his crime deliberately. _

It took him a moment to understand. "…you mean Caius?"

_Yes. Seek him. You two partook of this sin, and it is you two alone who can atone for it._

Noel groaned in frustration. This was too much. This entity obviously was lost in its own plans, harshly leaving him in the dark. "This can't possibly be set straight! Caius would never help me! He _wanted _this to happen!" he yelled.

_Do you feel remorse? _it asked.

The question took Noel unexpectedly. What exactly did this entity want from him? "…Of course I do," he murmured lowly. He had been so overcome by the sentiment that he had momentarily given up all hope.

_Then seek out the other who does not feel as you do. Convert him to that emotion, and together undo this wrong._

"But that's just it. You haven't said how I can do that."

Noel thought he heard a soft laugh. _Step by step, boy…revelation will come in increments. In your current state, I could not possibly enlighten you fully. Presently, I will give you this one simple task: seek the perpetrator. At the moment, it is not important for you to understand this entire scenario. When next we meet, I may enlighten you further._

"And how exactly will we meet again?" Noel asked. Or how, for that matter, were they meeting now?

_I temporarily extracted you from your realm and brought you here. Although now…I suppose this space is part of your world now. Chaos is undoing everything, it seems._

A painful pang in his chest reminded him then. "Wait…what about Serah?"

_Serah?_

"The…the girl I was with. The one who helped me travel across time." The girl who died before his eyes, smiling as if everything would continue happily.

_Ah…the one who saw visions. She is part of the Unseen Realm now, boy. Do not be tempted to go in after her. _The being had a harsh tone when it said this.

Still, a dark hope rose in him. If the Unseen Realm was colliding with the Visible World, then maybe—

_You must not. _It occurred to him then that the voice could hear his thoughts as well._ The balance is frail as it is. You, a living soul, following her into the realm of the dead is unspeakable. Stray not from your task._

Grief fueled his rage. "How can you tell me that?" Noel growled. "I have to bring her back. I don't care what you say. I have to—"

_Because seeking the girl is a deterrent. The balance between the two realms is waning, and what time that stills exists is running out._

This entity was not worth talking to. He wanted to get out of here. If he could still somehow save Serah…

_I am not your enemy. Let the dead rest. These are the ends of times. What you want is a deviation from the path you must take. But enough. You must go. You will see soon enough that you must do as I have instructed. _There was a subtle hard edge in its voice, an edge that told Noel it would be unwise to disobey the being's command.

"Fine." He knew there was no arguing with this entity on that subject. "But you can't just leave me hanging like this," Noel protested. "I still don't understand one thing." He didn't really understand a lot, and now the mysterious entity had him frustrated.

_Ah…my identity? _The voice sounded mildly amused.

"Are you a fal'Cie?" he asked.

_No._

"Then—what—or who are you?"

There it was. That soft, muffled laughter. Noel realized then that the darkness was fading. It was dissolving into hues and colors, shapes beginning to take definition. Light. He was returning to the living realm.

Before the abyssal realm relinquished its hold, he heard the voice say, _Bear in mind that there are other gods beside Etro._

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**That's it for Chapter One. Gosh...this is my first ever continued fanfic. Aww...I have to be committed now. :( Heehee I'm joking...I'll update when I can. But like any writer, I get motivated by reviews!**

**Ah...and to respond to my first two reviews: Challenge accepted. *Smiles wickedly***


	3. Chapter Two: Underneath an Ash Gray Sky

**Black Rose here with Chapter Two! And I'm quite glad to see the reaction to Chapter One. Now for my reviews...**

**To Laure: I like how someone knows their FFXIII mythology and is questioning that. ;) But your comment made me chuckle...and you'll eventually see why as the story progresses. As for Caius/Lightning...these things aren't rushed. :P Caius will be coming soon, though, I promise you. (But I have to say, I love romances like that, hehe...)**

**To the mysterious i: Things won't be so simply outlined. :P I like giving a creative twist. You'll see some of that in this chapter, which based on what you said, I think will incidentally satisfy you.**

**To the rest of you, thank you for the reviews! I decided to make a 'musical theme' for each chapter, meaning that I'll quote a song lyric for each one, because I have an artillery of sound tracks. I was listening to the song Out of Time the whole time I was writing this, so I had to pay a tribute. And it suits chapters one and two, I think. Anyways, with the quick reiteration that the original story does not belong to me but to Square Enix, here is a full-of-action Chapter Two! **

**Now I'm hungry...*leaves computer to ransack fridge***

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Chapter Two: Underneath an Ash-Gray Sky

_No one knows his destination, forever paying for his crime._

_Lost alone in alienation, forever floating out of time. _– Out of Time by Mind in a Box

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The light and colors never really intensified. The tones remained subdued as Noel fully returned to the Visible World—his world. His vision quickly adjusted to the new lighting, and Noel soon saw why. The sky above was a dismal ash-gray, a hue he recognized to be the same as Valhalla. The muted light illuminated a barren plain stretching on into infinity, the occasional leafless tree and underbrush disturbing the even surface. The broad expanse was still and silent as death.

It was his nightmarish reality all over again.

He dropped to his knees, only dimly noticing that he had his clothes and weapons on him again. It was like a specter he had tried so hard to evade that was back to haunt him. Had the chaos really done this? All of this because of the goddess's death…

_Bear in mind that there are other gods beside Etro._

The implication those parting words made raised gooseflesh. He couldn't have possibly spoken with…it must have been a servant. A servant to one of the gods. But after that conversation, Noel found that hard to believe. That entity had told him a certain "we" were upholding the balance. Who else would possess such power other than a god? And the voice had already denied to being a fal'Cie.

Now all that remained was…_Which one was it? _Noel wondered, attempting to recall the myths. If he had really spoken to a god, who had it been?

A thought occurred to him. It seemed like he would have to follow its orders, then. He would have to find Caius. But god or not, he was still determined to find Serah also. Noel glumly surveyed the silent, monochrome world before him. He had an arduous task ahead of him. When it came to finding the both of them, where would he even start?

The behemoth lunged at him from behind.

But his hunter's instinct could not be taken so easily unawares. As the beast roared in bloodlust, Noel swiftly unsheathed his two blades and met the oncoming attack. The behemoth swiped at him with a massive paw while emitting a feral snarl, baring its ghastly teeth. He dodged the paw by darting at the beast's left side and slashing at its middle.

It could not have been deeper than a scratch, but still the behemoth growled in what seemed to be fury. Noel leapt back, bracing himself. He was finally able to take a good glimpse of it, and he saw that it was a greater behemoth. It wouldn't be too much of a hassle, then. Still…just his luck to be attacked by a behemoth upon arrival.

The monster hurtled itself at him, loosing a roar. Seeing his opportunity, Noel summoned a powerful gust to waver the creature's airborne balance. The moaning winds struck the behemoth directly in the chest, and it was partially knocked backward. Considering the monster's weight, it was a notable feat. Noel dashed over to where it fell.

The beast had landed on all four paws, but not with grace. Noel took advantage of its momentarily faltered state to dive under its body and hack at its underbelly, not losing his momentum to escape. Blood sprayed in his wake. When he turned his head, the behemoth collapsed, the ground shivering with the tremors. His breathing had quickened a fraction for the skirmish; otherwise, it had not taken much effort.

Noel warily approached the beast, swords stained red. It was still thrashing about, trying to erect itself. He sighed to himself. He may be a hunter, but he wasn't cruel. Noel plunged his shorter sword into the behemoth's chest with a fatal thud. The beast growled slightly, but after a several moments was finally still.

Noel waited expectantly. Seconds later the carcass dissolved into chaotic energy and vanished. He glanced at his bloodstained weapons. He'd have to clean them later…unless some other creatures wanted to give him a warm welcome back into the realm of the living. If it could be considered living anymore.

"It sends me on a quest, and it doesn't even bother helping out," Noel growled to himself. Why would the god need him and Caius, anyway? Was it really true only the two of them could repair the damage they dealt? He inwardly groaned in frustration. He could not understand why it refused to explain the entire circumstances to him.

The air around him abruptly became hazy and distorted. Recognizing this as the impending energy of chaos, Noel stepped back in caution. He was surrounded by the distortion but could not retaliate. "Damn," he muttered, avidly searching for a gap. "What now?"

Four figures materialized from the distorted air. Floating a few feet above him were bulky anthropomorphic beings fully clad in golden armor, lizard-like tails protruding from their posteriors. Scaly fingers grasped golden pikes with well-honed blades, black gauntlets covering their palms. Their helms hid all but their sinister, serpentine eyes from view, the color of vermilion. Those eyes assessed him now.

"_You have been selected for the Arena_," one of them said, but it was undistinguishable who had been the speaker.

Noel tensed in apprehension. "What?"

"_You have been selected as a competitor for the Arena_, _human. We are here to escort you_."

_I doubt they're here for 'escorting'_, Noel thought, casting a quick glance at their pikes. The Arena? Did they mean the one hosted by the Arbiter of Time?

"I'm not competing in the Arena," he stated evenly.

He saw a nearly imperceptible tightening grip on their weapons. "_Participants have no say in the matter. Now comply or be forcibly_—"

Well, that said enough. Noel leapt at one of them and rammed the soldier in the abdomen, tackling the creature to the ground. The reptilian soldier attempted to impale him with the pike, but Noel knocked the weapon aside before it could. He drove both swords at its exposed throat. It gargled in its own blood before becoming silent.

A potent force whisked him up into the air, and this time he was truly trapped. Two of the creatures held him in their vice-grip, their other hands grasping his weapons. Their eyes gleamed balefully. Great. Now he had incited their wrath.

"_This one has more fight in him than the others_," said the one to his right.

The third soldier, the one not holding Noel, glowered down at him. "_The Great Arbiter never declared he need arrive entirely intact_," it said.

He'd have to summon magic. That was his only resort. _This is a deviation from_ _my task, _he thought hotly. _Where's that god now?_

As if in response, a shadow fell across the sky.

A large shape flashed in his vision. Before he or his captors could comprehend what was going on, the two soldiers seizing him were violently snatched away by crimson talons. Noel fell as he caught a glimpse of mechanical wings, his weapons landing in separate areas a considerable distance from him.

The third warrior hissed and hurtled down at him. Noel scrambled for his weapons, only then realizing they were too far for him to reach in time. Instinctively, he rolled away, only to narrowly miss a pike buried into the earth where he had lain a millisecond before. The golden warrior harshly landed atop him, pinning him to the ground. It pulled with all its might at the pike, but it was firmly embedded into the earth. Noel struggled meanwhile, his ears distantly picking up the sound of vicious tearing and horrific, shrill cries.

"_You are not—to be killed—only—incapacitated_," the golden warrior uttered through each labored breath, as though it trying to assuage Noel's concern. As if those words would convince him.

"Not on my watch you don't," came a new voice, and with a bloodcurdling scream the reptilian creature was torn away from him. Stunned, Noel watched as a black Bahamut drove its prisoner into the ground a ways from him and hacked the screaming warrior into shreds. Briefly tearing his gaze from the brutal scene, he rushed for his swords. It was better if he didn't linger.

By the time he had retrieved them, the Bahamut was finished with its prey. It slowly raised its head at him, talons dripping with blood. He stood immobile, very much aware of the fact that a sudden movement would spur it into action.

That was when he noticed that Bahamut had a rider.

"You all right?" asked the rider, nimbly dismounting. It was a woman.

Of course…she was the voice that had spoken earlier. Still, Noel was on his guard. She controlled Bahamut, a creature someone else also controlled. A certain someone he was forced to look for. "What do you want?" he asked carefully.

The woman shrugged as she closed the distance between them, Bahamut trailing behind her. She was dressed in Pulsian garments, similar to his own. "Can't say for sure anymore. It's just that the Arbiter's Guards have been pissing off me lately, trying to round me up for the Arena. They round up anyone who's survive one of these attacks. Just figured I may as well intervene on the wretched soul they went after this time. It was definitely enjoyable watching 'em being ripped apart." She patted Bahamut's neck at this. Then she blinked suddenly, peering closer at him. "You look familiar. Are you…that kid? Noel? Noel Kreiss?"

This woman spoke strangely. "Who's asking?" Noel asked in return.

She grunted. "We've been looking for you. Ever since this hellish chaos took over, Sazh figured you or Hope would be our best bet to overcome it," she said.

Noel held a breath. If she knew Sazh and Hope, then maybe... "You look familiar yourself," he said, not yet willing to trust her completely. Who knew if this was a trick played by the chaos? "Let's say I am Noel Kreiss. Who are you?"

"Well, well…guess Serah didn't say a lot about me. The name's Fang."

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***Munching on fish and mashed potatoes* Mmph? Oh...you finished the chapter already. Good for you. As always, reviews is my energy drink that will drive me forward! No really...reviews is my writing fuel. ;P And I've seen that this has gotten plenty of views...*Looks accusingly at non-reviewers* Haha...the next chapter will feature the character we all love: Caius Ballad! Yes, I'm aware I said that out of bias, but frankly I love him. **


	4. Chapter Three: An Illusory Reality

**Yes, I did not forget you or this story! I'm back and here with a nice, long chapter with everyone's favorite guy, Caius Ballad! *Trumpets sound* Anyways, I've seen quite a lot of happy reactions to Fang's return...XD That was certainly unexpected. We got Fang-lovers here. Haha...I personally love Lightning, but Fang's awesome too, and she will be playing a role in my story.**

**And to yukari123: Coliseum! I knew Arena had the wrong ring to it. Gosh, I knew I should have checked if I used the right word. Meh, potato, potato. . Looks weird written out and not said, but you get my drift.**

**Anyways, without further ado, here is a lengthy chapter three! Sidenote: Be sure to check my profile if I haven't been updating in a while. I promise not to disappear on you guys without at least informing you if I ever decide to drop this story.**

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**Chapter Three: An Illusory Reality**

_You are here alone again__  
__In your sweet insanity__  
__All too calm, you hide yourself from reality__  
__Do you call it solitude? Do you call it liberty?__  
__When all the world turns away to leave you lonely_

-The World, Yuki Kajiura

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He thought she had been happy. He thought the reality he had conjured up for her would make her smile again, thought that partitioning her from the world would satisfy her. It had certainly satisfied him. He had not wanted anything to do with the world. Why else would he have left it to be consumed by chaos?

Unless Yeul was involved, he always preferred his solitude. She was the only person he would ever allow to enter his exclusive world. That was why he had gone through all that effort to make her happy and carefree, to make her smile.

But Yeul had never once smiled. And yet he had done everything for her. Where had he gone wrong?

Caius was presently in a limbo of chaos. There was no definition here, only chaotic energy surging about him. He was cradled in the energy's embrace, which was what allowed him to lean against it and lie down in a place of no shape or dimension.

Brought out of his reflection, Caius lips pulled back into a snarl, admonishing himself. This was no time to be sulking. Action must be taken. Still, even that would not be easy, now that his options were limited.

Maybe mulling over it might actually help him to formulate a course of action.

Somewhat grudgingly, Caius allowed himself to be assailed by those recent memories.

* * *

_Caius just finished conjuring up their own city of Paddra before her eyes, erecting it in all its original, magnificent splendor. The Yaschas Massif stood sentinel about them, vigilant to any unwelcome entities that might infiltrate their private world._

_He smiled slightly as he turned to Yeul, expectant. "We can live here peacefully, Yeul. In this new Paddra, you will not be perturbed by any visions," he told her._

_Yeul said nothing, wordlessly gazing at the city. Silvery blue strands of hair floated about her face when a breeze sighed by._

_His smiled had vanished by then. He had not been expecting this reaction. Caius regarded her with mild puzzlement. "Does this not please you?"_

_Those emerald eyes focused on him now. Her normally nonchalant expression was colored by an emotion Caius identified as discontentment. Was she truly unhappy? Or was this simply nostalgia, looking upon their city that had fallen centuries ago?_

_She answered him in a flat voice tinged with sadness, "There are no people here, Caius."_

* * *

_Yeul was collecting flowers in a verdant field he had taken her to. The sun shone brilliantly from above, but the warmth was pleasant. Caius lay idly on the grass, watching her. This was one of her past selves manifesting within her. The Yeul that loved to collect flowers. But she seemed more resigned about it. She picked the flowers almost dutifully, with an essential lack of the delight she had shown in her other life._

_She approached him when she had completed her task. Yeul offered him a colorful bouquet. He smiled thinly. "A splendid arrangement," Caius said to her, taking the flowers. Her strange behavior had not escaped his mind._

_Yeul studied him, apparently noting his bland response. Then she asked, "Does this not please you?"_

_Taken off guard, he gave no reply to her reiteration of his question as she walked away. Caius studied the flowers she had given him. Bluebells and carnations in the center. The carnations were all shades of pink and purple._

_He glanced back at the silver-haired girl, recalling again the words a young warrior had told him at Valhalla._

* * *

_That night, the first intruder had found them._

_Caius was in deep contemplation, staring up at the starlit sky. Yeul was asleep on the grass. After her remark about the city he had recontructed through his power of chaos, he decided it might be better to spend the night outside Paddra. The lush grass was comfortable bedding, in any case._

_He was not blind to Yeul's lack of satisfaction, nor was he a fool to guess the reasons behind them. He just simply refused to acknowledge them directly to her. Caius had already performed a feat that could not be revoked. And he had done it all for her. He only had to convince her that this was a better life for them._

Do you truly believe she will ever be happy?

_Caius stood up abruptly, swiftly drawing his sword. It took him a brief moment to realize the voice came in his head._

I have been trying to reach you for quite some time. I must admit, with the ability Etro gave you over chaos, it was not an effortless task. But naturally, you could not elude me.

_Caius cast a quick look in Yeul's direction. Seeing she had not been roused from slumber, he took a few steps away from her. Then he murmured, "What manner of being are you? I will not tolerate your presence here."_

_A small chuckle. _If it vexes you so, you can answer me with your thoughts as to not wake the seeress. And in all frankness, I am not _here_. But I _am_ in your mind.

_That was enough for Caius. "Then get out," he said roughly. He would not mentally converse with this entity, not if it meant it had access to his thoughts. Perhaps it already did if it was in his mind. Well...he would find a way to shroud them._

I am already in your mind. It is futile to attempt to expel me. But peace, Guardian. I only come to convince you.

_"Convince me of what? To not seek you out and make you drown in your blood?"_

_Another chuckle, this one more amused. _I genuinely would be entertained to see you try that, Guardian, even with your power. But that is not what I need you for. You have committed a grievous sin, Caius Ballad.

_Caius grunted. "So I've been told," he said, once again thinking back on a young warrior's words._

Yes, the boy, _said the voice, obviously reading his thoughts, which irritated him. _He partook of your sin as well, regardless if it was of his own volition. Together you must atone.

_Caius hardly took heed of its words, more concerned with controlling his thoughts. He did not know the nature of this being, but he would never give it the luxury of knowing his every move. He was too accustomed to having control of the board. And so he concentrated on the image of a sleeping Yeul and his memories of her, veiling his innermost thoughts underneath. _

Ah...very good. If it comforts you, I cannot see what you might be truly thinking. Oh, I could if I pressed, but I am not here to wring answers from you. But I do want your compliance, _the voice told him._

_"If you previously knew my thoughts, you would know I am in no mood to comply, nor do I ever comply," Caius said to it. "It is not my desire to speak wth you. It is my desire for you to leave."_

I will leave once you have heard me and consider my words in earnest.

_"Speak then, before I grow weary of your mind-games."_

The girl will never be content with what you have done to her, Guardian. Yes, rather than having done something for her, you have done something to her. You have condemned her and the survivors to this chaos to an existence with no life, time, or death.

_This time Caius chuckled. "You think I am not aware of this? But you are mistaken. Yeul and I were condemned when life, time, and death still existed. She was an eternal victim to that accursed cycle, and I forever had to watch it occur. That was true damnation. I revel in chaos, intrusive being. In this twilight realm I can protect her eternally without such torment. And I will continue to do so, without your unwelcome intervention."_

Ah…but who was the victim, I wonder?

_This made him pause. "What?"_

You say the seeress was the victim. But she was happy. You, however, were not. So again I ask: who was the victim and who was the witness?

_He contained his brewing anger, hiding within his calm façade. "I told you to leave. The next instance I will not be so lenient," he said, his grip tightening on his sword, his eyes glinting red in the darkness._

You can threaten me not, Caius Ballad. Etro may have given you your power, but I can as easily take it away.

_Suspicion crossed his mind, so strong he had not been able to hide it. The being gave a light laugh, all trace of menace gone. Good. So we have established my identity._

_"I have killed Etro. I can do the same with you," Caius whispered._

Oh, you can certainly try. But I am not a slumbering deity, nor am I as merciful and kind as Etro, and nor am I alone in this. For that matter, it would not achieve anything but make your reality collapse into nothingness and repeat the cycle. Not even you know what will happen next after your deed, Guardian.

_"Is that so? And what is it exactly you want me to do?" Caius asked, secretly devising methods of somehow eluding this entity. Currently, his chances were not very good, since he did not know the deity's location. Still, he had defeated a deity before, and could manage to reenact the deed._

You must ally yourself with the boy, Noel Kreiss, and undo this wrong. You must also awaken her.

_"Her?"_

Heh…you know very well who I am referring to.

_"And if I refuse?"_

I would commend your gallantry, regardless of how foolish it be. If you refuse, you will gravely wish you had not.

* * *

_Yeul had requested some time alone. Naturally, he obliged. He was strolling through the mountainous terrain of the Yaschas Massif, considering what to do with the deity from the night before…if time still existed to make it a "night before". The irony, that he would still make it day and night in his illusory reality._

_He would have to shift their location, he decided. That deity could not be allowed to trace them. He just would have to be more elusive in his technique. That much was resolvable._

_What would be more challenging was swaying Yeul. Caius hadn't a clue what mentality possessed her, only that he would have to shake her out of it. He had given her everything, and he had to make her see that._

_What would possess Yeul that she would need civilization, anyway? Was he not enough for her? All Yeul should ever need was him, her Guardian, the one who truly cared for her. Even the Farseers had only followed her for her prophecy, and even they came to fear her and brought themselves to destruction. No soul was worthy to be here with them. No soul…but perhaps for…_

Have you considered my words?

_It elicited a wan smile from Caius. "And what brings you here now, invasive deity?" he asked evenly. It was too late to avoid this entity now. _

You know my answer to your question, Guardian. _I_, however, know not your answer to my mine.

_"I gave you my answer before. I want you gone," Caius proclaimed, "And I will find a method to execute that if you are not acquiescent."_

You still defy me. _It was not a question. The voice sounded slightly amazed._

_"If you have not noticed, I've defied my fate to protect the timeline. The only drive I hold is to protect Yeul and to keep her in bliss."_

Both of which you have failed in.

_"I have only failed in one," Caius said, irked._

Let's see…the seeress is most definitely not happy with you. That much is clear, so I assume this is the one you agree you have failed in.

_"And how is it that I am unsuccessful in the other? She is safe in this world I have created for her, secluded from any beings that might care to trouble us. Not with the inclusion of you," Caius said._

Oh? Can you protect her from herself, then?

_"You need not tell me what she needs protection from, deity. Leave," Caius said with the suggestion of a growl._

Oh, I shall leave you be. But I will have you see the side of reason, Caius Ballad. You are afflicted terribly with your chronic illness: insanity. It has deadened your senses and made you insentient to reality: blinds you, deafens you. I only wonder what will cure you of it. _The voice sounded somewhat thoughtful. _You have left me no choice, Guardian, nor have you left any with the girl.

_"You know nothing of Yeul."_

I know that she has betrayed you. She has let them come for her.

_"Them?" The question was soon answered. His purple eyes glowed crimson, sensing the threat. "What have you done?" he asked, voice dripping with venom as he drew his large sword._

I? Nothing. The seeress did this. She wanted them to come for her.

_"Who?" he demanded furiously._

Who else? The Guards of the Arbiter.

_In an instant and with no further comment, Caius used the chaotic energy to transport himself back to Yeul. How could Yeul be so foolish? No…the deity was lying. She would not have done this, no matter how dissatisfied she might have been._

_The verdant field appeared before him, but the scene was anything but lovely. There they were, their golden armor flashing in the sun, floating above and surrounding a small figure. Yeul seated calmly on the ground as they closed in on her. _What was she doing?

_"Accursed reptiles! Die in true battle." The jewel in the elaborate hilt of his sword glowed a dangerous red, his eyes flaring the color. Before they were even aware of it, he was upon them. He reappeared behind one of them and swiftly thrust the blade through the breastplate. The insipid reptile was not given the chance to raise its pike. As it should. Caius only regretted granting it a swift death. They deserved to witness themselves being bathed in their own blood, but perhaps he could prolong the death of his last victim. _

_Even as the first one began to fall, he materialized behind the second, who had just begun to turn its head. He struck down the golden-clad warrior through decapitation. Blood showered the ground behind him, the severed head spiraling to the floor, as Caius moved on to the third, who was ready for him. The other six went to its aid, pikes ready to jab at him. He only needed a single glance—all six were instantaneously immobilized, pikes still held at the ready. These fools obviously did not know what they were up against. The third guard was impaled by his blade before it could even process what had happened._

_Caius smirked, still floating in midair. "Were you not aware of the nature of your opponent?" he asked to none of them in particular. "Every one of you shall die feeling deepest remorse." _

Enough of this.

* * *

Those three words the voice had spoken still rung with finality. The next thing Caius knew, he woke up to this limbo, his sword gone along with the bulk of his power. He had been mystified for a few moments before the realization came upon him that the voice had sent him here, allowing those wretched creatures to take Yeul. The darkness enveloping him was the remnant of his conjured illusion. The illusory world he had constructed was demolished. Demolished by a cursed deity that had stopped him from protecting her.

He clenched a fist at the memory. He would have his vengeance, to be sure. This was why he would never welcome divine intervention. This was why the gods deserved to perish. They would feel his wrath, every one of them. He would devise a way.

Yeul would no doubt be taken to the Coliseum, either made a prize or a prisoner condemned to fight in battle. He knew he would have to go there, but in his current state, he could not survive. Not alone.

Which forced him to a decision he thought he would never make.

Caius grimaced slightly, realizing what desperate measures he had been forced to take. He always could perform a task on his own. But needing an ally...oh, how that being would pay a dear retribution.

He could no longer summon Bahamut, nor control the chaos with the ease he had possessed prior, but he could still use it as a means of transportation. That much the entity had not taken. The energy engulfed Caius, taking him to his desired destination.

Blackness yielded to ash-gray as a vast sky loomed above him. It was all the same, only the bells no longer rung. The dirge for the goddess was done. Silence alone reigned here.

He entered the temple unceremoniously. She was the same as he had left her, as to be expected. The sword upon her lap, her head slightly bowed, legs crossed nobly. Never would he have thought he would have paid her another visit, or in this manner.

Of course, the first person to have crossed his mind was his former apprentice. But time was of the essence, and Caius could not afford such time to search for him. Which brought him here, before the powerless queen. How amusing…he was technically obeying the deity's command; but it was for his own motives.

"Doubtless you would not have expected to see me here before you," he said to her, carefully forming his words, very much unused to what he was about to do, "nor do I think it would ever have crossed your mind that I would be the one come to awaken you. I am aware that you have made of yourself an epitaph for your dear sister. But an epitaph is unnecessary for the living, which your sister may yet be. I know you are able to hear me through your crystal stasis, and so I come before you for an audience. I have a proposal for you, warrior goddess…"

* * *

**GASP. Is it marriage? Don't be a fool, Lightning! Haha, I hope you guys are happy. . I just finished this at four in the morning, with a minor headache. :P I'm off to bed...so it will be a pleasant thing to wake up to see reviews in my inbox! :) **


	5. Chapter Four: Dark Angel, Light Angel

**Whoo! Managed to update in nine days this time! Now...I wonder if anyone noticed I changed the genre to Adventure/Romance? As I continued writing this, I realized a lot more action would be happening rather than angst. For this chapter, some of that romance is finally present: Caius/Lightning! Mind you, it will be in the form of fighting. XD When don't they fight? Now reviews before I ramble on:**

**To the anonymous i: I'll just say I'm a lover of hints and foreshadowing. I wonder if you also got my other flower reference. Hmm...that one was more subtle.**

**Anyways, two Evanescence songs came to mind for this chapter: Bring Me to Life and My Immortal, just for the sake of drop of angst and romance. But I went more adventurous and symbolic by choosing the song that holds the position of my favorite: Inner Universe. I think it suits this chapter and story for quite a few reasons. Now, Chapter Four! Note: Square Enix holds the rights to this original story. Heck, if it were me, I'd sure as heck announce I'm making an FFXIII-3 ASAP. Other note: I feel bad that I'm making you Fang-lover wait two chapters. XD I promise you the next chapter will feature Noel and Fang. Oh, I am cruel sometimes... **

* * *

**Chapter Four: Dark Angel, Light Angel**

_Angels and demons were circling above me_

_Cleaving a path through thorns and milky ways_

_He who did not know happiness_

_Was the one who did not understand its call._

- Inner Universe, ORIGA

* * *

She didn't want to answer the voices, didn't want to heed them. She only wanted to fall deeper into her state of dormancy. It cushioned the agony, sheltered her from the world she desperately desired not to face. A world without Serah.

It had been her resolute mindset that serving as an epitaph would be her amends. Deep within, Lightning knew it was also a drastic means to alleviate the grief. But she could care less. Serah had asked that she remembered her. This was her proof, her timeless memorial, to that last request.

_Serah, I'm so sorry._

One day, she would find her. One day, they would be reunited. One day…when she roused from her slumber. One day…

But today was not that day.

Voices urged her, beseeched her to awaken. They were swarming about and through her like an overwhelming torrent.

_Help us, great warrior…_

_Oh majestic, crystalline queen, hear our plea. Rise from your frozen throne and end this darkness…_

_Great Etro may no longer hear our prayers. Please…hear them in her stead…_

_You must awaken, champion to Etro. Do you not hear these souls of the lost beseeching you? _

That particular voice was unlike the others. It was strongest of them all, a gong resounding in her soul. And still Lightning disregarded them all, deafening herself. Why did they ask for _her _help? Why could they not leave her to the warm, consoling light of her slumber? Had she not done enough? Had she not already failed one mission already in guarding the goddess? Oh, she had felt the bell tolls in her crystal stasis, resonating throughout her core. But she could no longer aid her patroness, for she was gone. Etro was gone. She had failed everyone, it seemed.

She could not specify what exactly she waited for in her current state. Her chances of rescuing Serah from the embrace of death had only slimmed now that all had gone to hell. Perhaps she waited for an opportunity. Either way, the voices tried and tried again to pull her away from her solace, which caused her to only swathe herself deeper into it. The light was so warm and soothing like a womb. Cradled in the tranquil ambiance, it was the most she could attain to serenity. Let it banish those voices away…banish them back to that dark world of suffering and strife.

But then another voice joined the multitude. A voice she knew all too well. A voice that stirred something within her essence. The tantalizing promise the light offered for tranquility began to vanish. The womb gave birth to something very different: a smoldering hatred. Lightning cringed.

Damn that man.

Lightning had heard him before, that fateful moment when Etro passed, but she knew his words would only be spiteful. She refused to listen. But now he was joining those voices…those damned voices…

What did he want now? He had defeated her. What more could he want?

_...I am aware that you have made of yourself an epitaph for your dear sister. But an epitaph is unnecessary for the living, which your sister may yet be. I know you are able to hear me through your crystal stasis, and so I come before you for an audience. I have a proposal for you, warrior goddess…_

Anger tore at her, threatening to break her loosening hold on the light. In all its totality, she was not the true guilty party. He was. That man was the one at fault, the one who had ardently wished this all to come into being. As though she would ever listen to a proposal from him. Still, she listened, begrudging the attention she paid him.

_We are both in need, _his irritatingly intense voice stated, _both seeking ones highly cherished. Alone, you and I are unable to put our individual tasks into fruition. But perhaps in collaboration…_

The implication was enough to incite her ire all the more. How _dare _he think she would ever collaborate with him! Oh, she would wake for him…only to hack him to pieces. Only to vent her grief upon that detestable man.

Lightning screamed, riving the womb of light to insignificant fragments.

* * *

Caius was not expecting his plan to be facile. He was fully aware of the ordeal he would have to undergo to persuade the female warrior to temporarily cast aside their hostilities. And so moments before, he had mustered what he could from his diminished power, chaos surging along his arm. It had wavered and contorted until it assumed the desired shape. When the energy dissipated, another Bahamut sword gleamed beneath it. Except for appearance, it definitely was not a thorough replica, but it would have to suffice.

He really had been given few alternatives, and the other ones were far more distasteful than this. But to seek the aid of an opponent...particularly _her_…

"We are both in need, both seeking ones highly cherished," he said. "Alone, you and I are unable to put our individual tasks into fruition. But perhaps in collaboration..."

He waited, observing the stationary warrior. Caius was certain she heard his words. He was not, however, certain of her reply.

A flash came from the throne. It was not the play of light from the crystal's facets. Before Caius could react, light abruptly filled his vision. He heard the faint sound of cracks. He groped for his weapon, bracing himself. It appeared he would be successful in rousing the dormant queen, after all.

"_Caius Ballad_!"

He had to admit, prepared though he was, he had not anticipated the intensity of her fury. Even as the light finished blinding him, the blue-eyed warrior lunged at him before he could so much as blink, sword raised in the air and ready to deliver a mortal blow. He barely had a single moment to lift his own weapon in defense before their blades fiercely clashed, the ensuing ring strident as a broken bell.

Their faces and bodies close, they appraised the other in that brief moment of their intertwined blades. Eyebrows furrowed from exertion to overpower her opponent, her lips twisted in revulsion and concentration. Hatred flared in those cerulean eyes, a hatred he knew was directed at him. That much told him what she thought of her appraisal of him. It was almost remarkable, the depth of that emotion she bore for him. But he had detected another emotion well hidden behind it, an emotion that fueled her hatred.

She could never have veiled it from him, even in that brief instant. He knew that sentiment all too well, practically lived with it. And he would have to exploit it to sway her.

"Listen to me, Lightning—" he began.

"I'll listen to your last breath, you bastard," she hissed venomously, breaking the union of their swords and lashing out at him. Caius parried by meeting the blade with his own. She was weaker. Her patroness dead, no doubt she had lost some of her original power. Not to mention she had just awoken from a crystal stasis. Still, it was to his benefit: he was weaker as well.

Still, Caius couldn't suppress a smirk. Regardless of the circumstances, they always greeted each other with their blades. It seemed to be their ritual.

She must have misinterpreted his smirk, because before he knew it, Lightning took advantage of his momentarily distracted mind to drive her free hand into his armored chest and blast him with…well, _lightning_. He was thrown into the air, his body jolting to the energy's assault. The afterimages of lights muddled his vision.

When his sight cleared and his body ceased its spasms, he saw that she had launched herself from the ground, leaving a trail of feathers in her wake. Caius was ready for her. The violet glow of chaos undulated on his blade. It annoyed him that the power was not as potent as he would have liked.

They clashed swords once again. She grunted, executing a ruthlessly consecutive series of strikes, her blade flashing dangerously to the rapid movements. He parried them all, which seemed to further aggravate her.

"This is needlessly repetitive, Lightning," he murmured close to her ear during their exchange of blows; they were that near the other. "We both know fully well that neither of us will best the other. We nullify the other."

"Shut it. You just enjoy hearing yourself talk, Caius."

Their swords continued their dance, the chaos flowing along his blade flaring each time it came close to her flesh. Caius skillfully feinted a strike to her right shoulder, and when she raised her blade to meet it, he delivered a blow to her lower abdomen.

However, she was apparently used to his ploys. Lightning quickly adjusted her sword to deflect the blow. Still, her stance had faltered as a price, and Caius leapt at the opportunity. Making use of his superior strength, he drove her to a stone wall of one ofValhalla's structures. She slammed into it, granules of stone crumbling off at the impact. He vaguely wondered whether or not the crack he heard was the stone or her bones.

Lightning viciously tried to escape her vulnerable position, but Caius pinned her to the wall with his body, their blades the only objects preventing him from closing the minuscule distance between them.

"Let—me—go," she growled between slightly labored breaths, glaring at him.

"You must first agree to hear my appeal."

"Why would I ever—believe you would—make a deal with me?"

"Perhaps if you listened to my proposition, you may answer your question," Caius evenly replied, his breath catching at moments as he fought with her to maintain this position. "I can be reasonable should a situation demand it. So should you also be. Nothing shall be accomplished exercising your grief upon me."

Despite her situation, she managed a small, grim laugh. "_You_. The one who made the world go to _hell_!" At the last word, the woman seemed to have found a drive to resist him with. Her blade now fiercely pressed against his own in the more ardent attempt to push him off.

They struggled in that manner for several seconds. Unable to extricate herself or her blade, the warrior did something else. Having him diverted with their struggle of blades, Lightning managed to disentangle her leg from his and roughly kicked his shin. His slight falter was all she needed. She pounced on him, thrusting him all the way back to earth. He landed on his back with a solid thud.

Her hand tightly grasped his neck, the tip of her sword at his throat as those sea-blue eyes assessed his face. This reversed position somewhat startled him. Her legs now fastened his in place. Only his arms were free. But he knew a single movement would provoke her blade. And so he—very reluctantly—relaxed his sword arm, allowing his sword to fall from his grip and conveying his surrender.

Seeing this, hesitancy flitted across those eyes. Her steely gaze returned to him. "What game are you playing at?" she asked harshly.

"The game that will win your audience, which I fear I am losing…what with such an uncompromising position."

She seemed to notice then that she was straddling him. To a fractional extent, her firm hold on him relaxed. "Let's see if your talkative mouth manages to convince me not to slit your throat here and now."

"I can help you retrieve your sister from the realm of the dead," Caius stated without delay before she changed her mind.

"So you said when I was in the crystal," said Lightning, "But you have no proof you can."

"Am I in need of it? You have seen what I can do."

Her eyes searched his, rosy brown hair nearly brushing against his cheek. "If you had the power, you would have used it to save that girl long time ago."

That girl meaning Yeul. His heart twisted painfully at the thought of her, but he did not express it in the slightest. "Then you truly were oblivious to this new reality in the duration of your slumber. Chaos has taken over. That much is true. But forces are preventing it from utterly conquering the realm of the living." Forces he now knew the nature of. "Therefore, the realm of the dead and living have collided. I can tread between both in this state." It wasn't a lie. He might have been stripped of a considerable portion of his power due to the loss of his sword, but Caius was still capable of the statement. He didn't need to attempt it to know he still possessed the ability.

"And in return?" Lightning questioned, although her face betrayed that she had an inkling.

"You must aid me in rescuing Yeul from her captors."

"Aid you? Where exactly was she taken?"

"The Coliseum, most likely. The Arbiter of Time has taken her prisoner," Caius replied.

Her mouth quirked in confusion. "The Arbiter of Time? What for?" she asked.

"He has not been very pleasant ever since the goddess's death."

Her expression clearly conveyed that the answer was dissatisfactory. Still, the goddess's warrior continued to question him, "And why would you need my help?"

He had been anticipating this question. "I found myself in an unfortunate situation. I am…unable to perform abilities I had previously possessed," he explained.

"Hmph. All this time I thought you were obsessed with protecting her. You had everything when you succeeded in overwhelming the world in chaos, and you still managed to lose something." Nonetheless, her hold on him lessened further.

Caius grunted. "Surely you would understand my desperation? You also hold one dear that is in need of rescuing. However, your dearly beloved is much more difficult to reclaim. I offer you an excellent bargain."

"I don't trust you, you insane bastard."

"A wise decision. I would not expect you to."

Lightning regarded him wordlessly for a long moment. After what felt an eternity, she finally released him, withdrawing her sword and extricating herself from him. Caius slowly stood up, retrieving his sword from the ground in the same manner to not upset her. She watched him like a hawk, her grip still firm on her sword.

"Bargain struck, Caius. I still don't trust you. So I have a condition," she said. He almost smiled. He could tell by her expression that the idea of bargaining with him still revolted her.

"And what would that be?" he asked in a smooth voice.

"You asked for my aid, Caius Ballad. You'll have to hold your end of the bargain first. You _will _lead me to my sister. Then I'll help you rescue your precious seeress."

Well…that certainly irked him slightly. This woman making _conditions _as though she had control over the situation—which she unfortunately did, but he would not admit that. Still, he had to give her credit—she was smart to hold that over him, and know that he was desperate enough to consent to her condition. Now he really would be obligated to hold his end of the bargain. And that fact irked but secretly pleased him. He was loath to admit it, but he had to admire that distrustful quality of hers. It would help her survive this "hell", as she put it.

Caius performed his signature smirk in spite of himself. "Condition met."

* * *

**I've noticed I'm a late writer. I finished writing this at three in the morning this round. XD Ah, silly, silly me to deprive myself of sleep for your sakes...and I did this instead of writing my novel! Look what I do for you! :D It would be a very nice thank-you to leave a review! It's said that reviewing makes authors the happiest people on earth. **


	6. Chapter Five: Chaotic Spiderweb

**Yes, I'm back, in better spirits now that I've somewhat accomplished the things I wanted. I apologize for the scare I may or may not have caused. Honestly, I was in a meh mood with a million things to do, that hectic state in life we all get. And I actually put this story as a higher priority despite all that. ****But the lack of activity review-wise made me feel I was investing that time for no reason, and...you get the picture. **

**Anyways, the hits at least tell me I have an audience. As much as reviews elates and drives me, I suppose I'll have to find some alternate mojo juice to run on, because I won't abandon this story. Yes, my writer's morals to see a story to the end got the better of me. I probably won't update as often, though. (Which wasn't very often to begin with, haha ^_^' I'm sorry...) But let me stop babbling and thank the ones who reviewed and didn't want this story to go away. I didn't either. XD**** Anyways, I'm making up for my hiatus with a nicely lengthy chapter. As promised, this chapter features Noel and Fang, and will take a detour to our dark couple...**

**Note: With obligatory repetition, this game belongs to Square Enix and I am only expanding on this plot as I please.**

* * *

**Chapter Five: Chaotic Spiderweb**

_Even with my trembling arms_

_I want to protect someone dear to me  
__  
The place my thought that progressed _

_Up to now struggles on to see hopes _

_Even in a black, confined world_

- Kuroi Torikago, Kanon Wakeshima

* * *

"You all right?" Fang asked behind him, out of breath.

He twirled his dual swords in the air with a flourish before resheathing them. He was breathing as hard as her. Without looking back at her, Noel replied, "Are we gonna keep encountering these guys every two steps?"

"Now you know what I meant when I said they've been pissing me off lately."

They appraised the results of their most recent battle. A platoon of the Arbiter's Guards lay lifeless on the earth, their golden armor torn apart where their weapons had found vulnerable points, pieces of gore dangling. Pools of blood had already collected about the corpses, and the parched earth was performing a speedy job at drinking them up.

It had been a swift chain of events from the point of Fang's introduction. Noel hadn't possessed the time to converse with Fang, because almost immediately after dealing with the Arbiter's guards, predators were drawn at the scent of blood. They materialized out of nowhere—most likely the work of chaos—behemoths, uridummus, and silver lobos charging in, wyverns swooping in from the sky with shrill cries.

Riding Bahamut, Fang had taken care of the wyverns. That had left Noel with the earthen beasts. That round he had not gone unscathed as in his two prior battles—between the silver lobos and the greater behemoths, he had had a fair share of gashes on his person. When Fang was faring well on her own, Bahamut would dive in like a deadly shadow and carry away one of the beasts in its talons, skewering it. Eventually Fang did join him in his ground battle, healing the wounds he hadn't been able to tend to in the intervals of battle, and by the time it was over, he had expended a lot of magic and energy.

Then came the Guards. It had been one battle after another. One enemy had been drawn to blood, the other drawn to potential recruits. Already fatigued, at Fang's beckon, Noel had jumped on Bahamut and they had flown off. They had known they couldn't escape the Guards, but they had to escape from the field of carnage before it invited more company.

"We better go before we get another party," Fang said, surveying the area. "I don't need to tell you it's not safe here."

"No kidding. But where can we go? I know this place, and it's endless flat land. There's no place to go," Noel replied.

She cast him an odd look. "Where have _you_ been?" she asked him.

"What do you mean?"

But Fang only shook her head. "Obviously you're new here. I'll explain while we're on Bahamut. Let's go."

He looked at her in confusion, but complied. Fang nimbly mounted the winged beast first, Noel quick to follow, seating himself behind her.

"Hold on," she said, and Bahamut took flight.

The opposing wind whipped at his face, tousling his dark hair into complete disarray. Still, the rushing air was a welcome change to the stillness of the barren landscape below.

"Looks like you haven't gone exploring," Fang shouted to him over the whistling winds.

"Yeah, well, I've been stuck in some sort of limbo. How long has the world been like this?" he asked her.

"Dunno. Hard to tell when there's no such thing as day or night anymore. The sun or moon never shows up. It's just this dark gray sky everywhere, no matter where you go."

"Like Valhalla…" Noel muttered.

"That's right," she said, her dark hair practically flying in his face. Noel couldn't find a position to avoid it without falling off, so he was eventually forced to bear it. So preoccupied had he been in seeking comfort that he almost missed when Fang said, "We'll be there soon."

"Where's that?"

"The distortion."

It took a brief moment for Noel to comprehend what this meant. "They still exist?" he asked.

"Just like the sky, they're basically everywhere. You just got to know which one's the right one to jump in."

"Why's that?"

"They lead to different levels. This landscape you see here—the whole world's not like this. This is just one level of it, one layer. Thanks to Bahamut here, I know how to navigate my way through them." As if perceiving his bewilderment, she explained without glancing back, "The Unseen World and our world are mashed up together. The universe now is kind of like a really tangled spiderweb. The deeper you fall into it, the more knots you'll encounter—knots being chaos. The farther you go from the center, the fewer tangles you're gonna get. That's what we call layers. The higher the layer, the less chaotic effects."

A specific word caught his attention. "And who's we? Your Eidolon here?"

"Bahamut? Nah. I'm talking about Vanille and Sazh. We've been working to get a layout of the place, to find you, Hope, and Lightning, and somehow find a way to fix all this. "

"Any luck?" he asked with small hope.

"Tch. Those gray clouds up there ought to answer your question," she answered in grim amusement.

"So how'd you guys find each other?" asked Noel.

"As Lady Luck would have it, me and Vanille were stuck in the same layer," Fang responded. "We eventually found Sazh trying to find his son." A hint of bitterness crept into her voice as she lowly added, "He's always losing that kid."

"So where _is_ Sazh and Vanille? Se…I thought you were always with Vanille."

Fang cast him an oblique glance, as though she knew the reason behind his slight stutter. Noel wouldn't put it past her. Not much appeared to escape her. Strands of dark brown hair flitting about her face, she shortly replied, "I never like to leave Vanille's side. But Sazh is with her, and he's family to me, too. And they're both in a place where I know she's safe from this hellhole."

"A higher layer?" he guessed.

"Nope. Even the highest layers are partially affected by chaos. There're only two places I know of that aren't under the spell of chaos, and only one of them is safe. One is the Coliseum, and that sure as hell is the last place anyone wants to go. The other place is—"

He knew it before she said it. "Serendipity."

"That's right. The last haven. All kinds of souls are desperate to get there to save their hides. But it's crowded like hell there, and the owner's closing the gates on them. Only reason Sazh and Vanille got through was because Sazh and the owner know each other."

Bahamut loosed a roar and lowered his altitude, sharply veering to the right. Noel performed a chuckle devoid of mirth. "Kind of ironic that a pleasure palace has turned into a refugee camp."

Fang grunted. "Pretty much."

"Have you been to Valhalla to check up on Lightning?" he asked her.

"Like I said, we're looking for her. As much as I've been hopping through these distortions, I can't get to Valhalla. Valhalla's the center of all of it, the center of the spiderweb. Other than finding Lightning, I doubt getting there will do much. The goddess is already dead."

A pang of guilt abruptly stabbed its way through his hollow core. As if sensing it, Fang added while directing her stare at him, "It's not your fault."

His downcast gaze did not meet hers. A muscle in his jaw twitched. "You know it is," he answered softly but steely.

"No, it's not. You didn't want or planned this. That bastard did." She cast her eyes back down upon the landscape. "But we'll fix this. And he'll pay for all the damned trouble he's caused. Finding him is our best bet. Him or Hope. And we have no idea where the hell both of them are. Hope up and disappeared like you."

_Seek the perpetrator. _He vaguely wondered for a moment if that being had the power to speak through others. "I…I think there's something I _can _do. Caius _is _our best bet."

Fang looked at him in mild surprise. "You? No offense, but you looked like a babe that's just been born in a world that'll devour you alive. You looked pretty lost."

"I was, because I had no idea where I was."

"That's right…you said you were stuck in some sort of limbo?"

"Some…_thing _took me there right after the chaos took over. I had a long talk with it before it let me go. It gave me advice on how to stop the chaos."

"Interesting. You'll have to give me the details later." She nodded at the column of golden light in the distance. "We're here."

* * *

It had been less than an hour. Forty-eight minutes, to be precise. And already they were having their first argument. In all truth, Caius was surprised it hadn't happened sooner, or that they hadn't been at each others' necks already. The only factors that explained this was their initial silence between the other and their temporary and reluctant truce.

Lightning had practically refused to acknowledge him after he took them out of Valhalla. Wariness had flitted across her countenance as he offered her his hand, but she had taken it nonetheless, if gingerly. Chaos had enwrapped them both and had transported them into another middle world. It was a fissure wrought of chaotic energy cleaving a path between the merging realms, a back-alley method that saved them time from hopping layers. Still, they were in a precarious position. Walking a path between colliding realms was almost like walking through closing walls that erratically narrowed the space between the other.

But Caius was far more than accustomed traveling through chaos, able to anticipate such unpredictability. Chaos itself was a volatile variable, and he had mastered it.

They had spoken not a word to the other since they had struck their bargain. Lightning had kept her face completely blank after her quick expression of distrust. The only sound from her had been the chinking of her armor beside him.

And it had increasingly irked him. He didn't know why her refusal to speak to him had bothered him so. It should have pleased him if anything. But he supposed it had been her stoic face, her deliberate silence, as though _she_ had conjured up the path of chaos. As though _she _was currently the one at an advantage. They were traveling through his element, and it would have been so _effortless _to just abandon her there, letting her be crushed by the colliding realms. With his increasing anger, he had been quite tempted to do just that.

Then came the point that he could no longer bear the silence. Caius spun around to face her, the hint of a scowl on his face. "I earnestly hope you realize," he said with a harsh undertone, "that you are at quite a disadvantage."

She was unfazed. "What's your point?"

His jaw tightened. "Your lack of gratitude is astounding."

Her expression darkened. "Gratitude?" she asked in a dangerously low tone, taking a step towards him. "You think I should be _thankful _you're sparing my life right now? When I spared your pathetic self back in Valhalla? You're one to speak of gratitude when I decided to listen to your obnoxious voice instead of cutting your throat and silencing it forever."

"My deepest thanks," he replied in a voice dripping with sarcasm. Caius tilted his head at her. "Whereas I awakened you from your willed slumber..."

"That wasn't exactly a favor."

"…and additionally sacrificed much in accepting your condition. I know you realized my desperation to save Yeul, and you cunningly exploited it." Just as he had exploited her grief. "I was desperate enough to turn to you for lack of time to find more suitable partners. And I am wasting such time aiding you in saving your precious sister." When Yeul could be suffering a terrible fate at this very moment. It was a wonder the very thought hadn't maddened him.

"If I hadn't made the condition, you never would have held out on your end of the bargain, Caius," she said menacingly.

"That may be true. But it appears to me that with this condition, I may as well have sought out another's aid." If he had looked for his previous apprentice, their interests would have been mutual. They both cared about her.

"Yet you still decided to accept it."

"Yes, and it strikes me now that finding your sister may be potentially more arduous than I realized."

"And why's that?" she asked, with a slight hint of lingering aggravation.

Caius studied her for a moment before replying, "Valhalla has unleashed more than chaos. It has unleashed creatures from the Unseen World, creatures you could only imagine the nature of."

"Is that supposed to scare me?"

"It was unintentional if it did."

The indignation left her face to a fractional extent. "You wanted my help, Caius. This is the only way I'll ever help you," she said. He couldn't help but notice her words held less menace than before.

"So I've realized." He looked away from her then, focusing his gaze on the walls of undulating chaotic energy, muddled images of the two realms occasionally flickering in their shadowy depths. He lowly said, "You are not the only one who torturously agonizes over the loss of one held dear."

To his surprise, she did not respond. Silence reigned once again. Rather than finding it aggravating, this time Caius felt quite vacant of emotion. His anger had subsided, ebbing away to leave a residue of cold numbness. She wouldn't have seen that change of emotion, however. He kept his face a mask from her.

"Well…then we better continue looking for her instead of bickering, shouldn't we?" Lightning responded at last. He wordlessly raised his eyes to her. "The faster we find my sister Serah, the quicker I'll help you and be out of your presence. It's beneficial for the both of us."

Caius held her under the cool scrutiny of those violet eyes. By her face he knew it was unwanted, but he did not relent. Those arms were crossed stubbornly, her hardened blue eyes like steel, her body still tense as if aching to lunge at him. But her stance did not fool him.

"Very well," was his reply when he had finished. "The path's end is not far up ahead."

It was better, he decided, that he walked in front of her all this time. As much as she had attempted to veil it, he had caught something in her tone from before. It was so subtle—what he had caught—that Caius was not sure he had discerned it correctly.

Still, he was fairly sure he had heard the slightest hint of sympathy. He did not think even she had been totally aware of it.

And if Lightning had walked beside him, she would have seen his wry amusement at the notion of her empathizing with him.

* * *

"It's survival of the fittest in this place. The golden rule of Valhalla goes: the weak serve the strong. You haven't seen a bit of what kind of creatures the chaos brought with it. Any weak soul has only two outcomes in this new reality: serving their conqueror or being rounded to the Coliseum for idle sport—if they're lucky, they're held hostage as a prize to winners, which still isn't so lucky," Fang explained to him.

Fang and Noel were lounged around the campfire, resting their sore muscles. Bahamut's otherworldly instincts had served them well: the layer they had entered Fang confirmed to be a higher one. That much was clear to him by the lush grass blanketing the earth and a lightening in the atmosphere. The ash sky didn't seem as oppressive.

"Survival of the fittest…" Noel repeated to himself, lying on his back, one arm propping his head. He craned his head at her. "So why go all by yourself? If the chaos made the world a battleground, wouldn't it be easier with allies like Vanille and Sazh?"

"You'd be surprised how easy it is to get lost or separated here," she said in response, fishing through her bags. "Everything I've learned has been through trial and error. And if it wasn't because I was used to living on Pulse, I probably would've been killed by now. One of us had to go and map out the place while the other two stayed in Serendipity to get information from other people taking refuge there. Sazh and Vanille agreed I was the most self-sufficient out of all three of us."

"So that's how you found out about all this layer stuff," Noel said thoughtfully.

"That's right." She took out a small bundle from her pack and held it out to him. "Here. Dried behemoth strips. It'll do you good."

He took it from her. "Thanks."

They ate without an exchange of words for a while. Behemoth meat was tough eating, and so it made easy musing as he chewed, staring into the fire's bright depths. Firewood popped and the flames crackled in satisfaction.

Then he heard Fang say, "You fight good, kid. And that's not something I say lightly. It takes a lot to catch up with me, but you're a reliable partner, I'll admit."

The compliment was bittersweet to him. Her use of the word _partner _conjured up unwanted memories. "Thanks, Fang. You fight pretty good yourself." To get his mind off those thoughts, Noel continued, "You said those things back there…were the Arbiter's Guards, and that they're rounding people up for the Coliseum." Fang gave him a sidelong glance, as if waiting for him to illustrate his point. He added, "The way you're making it sound, it sounds like the Coliseum's just as bad as being alone out here to fend for yourself."

"You may as well be. I went looking for the whole original gang, Noel…Snow included. I didn't know you, but Sazh told me you might be able to help. I found Snow at the Coliseum, and I saw what it was like. They do two things there: battles and sports. One is for the fiercest competitors to battle each other, and the other one…the other one they 'recruit' any unfortunate soul to battle one of the fierce competitors. The sport is to see how long they can survive, which usually isn't past the first round."

"Seriously?" he asked in astonishment. Fang nodded. "Last time I checked, the Arbiter wasn't a terrible guy. He recruited creatures who _wanted _to participate, not for outright murder."

"Snow said something similar." She chewed on her meat strip before continuing, "That 'hero' got the idea in his head to somehow save the Coliseum's prisoners, so he stayed behind while I left. But he told me everything changed when the goddess died. The Arbiter was her faithful servant, and I guess her death took a toll on him. He went berserk, rallying his Guards and commanding them to recruit every pitiful soul out there—living or dead, willing or unwilling." Her brown eyes met his. "You ask me, don't ever tell him you were part of Caius's plan to kill Etro."

Noel laid his head back on his arm, quiet. He closed his eyes and sighed, willing it all to be a fabrication of his imagination—and wishing when he opened his eyes, she would be there. She would ask if he was okay. She would explain that he'd been knocked out by Caius's magic back in Valhalla, but they had managed to defeat him. No chaos had been let loose upon the universe. No death had occurred that would still rip at his core when he replayed it in his head.

"You really miss her, don't you?"

There was no need for elaboration on Fang's part. He opened his eyes, staring into the dismal sky. "Tell me what you would do if you failed to protect Vanille. You thought she was safe back in Serendipity, and you found out too late that the Arbiter's Guards ransacked it and took her to the Coliseum to die."

There was no hesitation. "I'd save her and tear that place apart."

"What if you were too late?"

Her gaze hardened. "I'd still tear that place apart. And I'll knock some sense back into the Arbiter's head before I kill him."

Noel released a deep sigh. "So you take it out on her killers. Heh…I don't have anyone to take it out on," he whispered. He watched as sparks flew out of the flames, settling onto the earth before their glow was extinguished. "I doubt it'd do me much good, anyway."

"You got Caius."

"Yeah, but what can I do against him now? He's got his chaos everywhere. Besides, it looks like we'll need him."

"Right…you got some explaining to do."

He told Fang about his encounter with the mysterious entity, not leaving out a single detail in case she might figure something he couldn't. Fang listened to his every word, mulling over each one as she contemplated the ground. When he had finished, she said, "It was definitely telling the truth on one thing: You do need to find Caius. 'Specially if you two hold the power to reverse this."

"Do you think it really was a god?" Noel asked.

Fang shrugged. "Beats me. I wasn't there. Did it sound like a guy or girl?"

He thought about it. "That's hard to tell. When I was there in that…place, everything was kind of disconcerting. So I'm not sure."

"Well…that being gave us a lead on something. Caius is our best hope in fixing this mess," Fang said.

Noel was unresponsive for a moment. He felt her eyes on him, waiting. Then he murmured, "I need to find Serah."

Fang let out a breath. "We can search for her, too—search for them both. It won't be easy, Noel—she's somewhere in the realm of death. And we have a hell lot of people to look for as it is."

"I don't care. If there's one good thing about this damn chaos everywhere, it's that it's given me the opportunity to look for her. I'm not missing out on that chance."

"I'm not telling you to back out. You'll just have to be careful—that god warned you not to look for her. If it's really a god, who knows what it'll do to stop you?"

Noel considered this. "You got a point. Any idea how to evade the god?" he asked.

Fang sat back, resting a hand on one knee. "If I recall the legends right, the gods can't go into the Unseen World, because it isn't their domain. They rule over the world of the living. It was either that or they couldn't find a way into the Unseen World. Only Etro and Mwynn ever went there, and look where they both ended up."

"I never heard of Mwynn. What happened to her?"

"Mwynn was Bhunivelze's mother, the supreme god who created Etro, Pulse, and Lindzei. Bhunivelze vanquished her so he could take sole reign of the world of the living, and banished her into the Unseen World. According to legend, she was consumed by the chaos," explained Fang.

"What a nice son."

"Right?" Fang said, humored. "My guess is that whatever deity talked to you is a god—both goddesses are gone."

"So Bhunivelze, Pulse, or Lindzei," said Noel.

"The myths never specified if Lindzei was a man or woman, but I've always thought of Lindzei as a guy, so yes."

He chuckled. "So what's our course of plan? Listen to this mysterious god who visited me?"

Fang performed a simple roll of her shoulders. "It wouldn't hurt adding that damned man to the search list. We'll see where and who the distortions take us to first," she said.

Noel sighed, trying to settle his storm of thoughts. So much to think about. And yet all he wanted to do was sleep and dream away the nightmare.

A minute passed in this manner. Then he heard Fang ask, "So how did Serah know I'm protective over Vanille?"

He couldn't manage to suppress a smile. So she _had _caught his slipup earlier. "I'm guessing Snow told her stories about you two," he replied.

"Hmm…I've never met Serah. Weird turn of events that I end up meeting you first." Fang's eyes were fixed on him. "She must be something to have so many people wanting to save her."

His smile became nostalgic. "She is," he answered in a soft voice. Noel glanced at her. "Would you like to hear about her?"

It elicited a small grunt from her. "Why not? I've got time to kill."

Noel's smile widened at her joke as he considered how to begin.

* * *

_Both mortals are straying from the path you told them to take. I tried to warn you. They cannot be entrusted with a gravely imperative task such as this._

_Patience, brother. The pieces are falling into place._

_Is that so? Then why have the two perpetrators yet to encounter the other? A dire retribution is to be had for their role in slaying our sister._

_So vengeful…so venomous. You truly should becalm yourself._

_Becalm myself? I am still vehement that my procedure should have been employed. Yours is achieving naught._

_My, my…Father would be displeased. You should know careful planning precedes recklessness._

_How is it careful planning when it is presently aimless?_

_Fret not. Sister _shall _be revived…even if it means their souls must be used in compensation. _

* * *

**And that's a wrap for Chapter Five. Chapter Six...I make no promises, but I'll try to post it before mid-September. I know, I know, it's potentially a long wait, but I'm busting myself to muster the drive to write this. It's not easy. Who knows? There could be a stroke of luck that makes me write this in less time. But let me address a faithful reviewer: **

**To the enigmatic i: I figured out what the i stands for. ;) It stands for inspirational. You're a reviewer any writer could hope for. Anyways...did I mention from chapter three that your tears made me giddy? XD As twisted as that sounds, evoking emotion like that is amazing for a writer. Concerning my novel—262 pages in rewriting, and still over 150 to go. And I'm planning for a series. Now do you understand my level of insanity? And yes, the gang will eventually meet up with each other.**

**And to gonelikeme: I'm sorry for the scare! I won't abandon this story. You can count on it. That flame's harder to put out now. :) **


	7. An Author's Third-Person Apology

**BlackRosePetalzFalling profoundly apologizes for her extended absence. Chapter 6, which is already halfway done, will be up by Thanksgiving, November 22. If not, you have all the right to throw rocks at her. Until then, she will be isolated from all access to humanity and Internet. Still, please bear in mind she has no intention of discontinuing her story. Thank you for your patience. **


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